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Now that the Summer is closing, it will soon be time to hear who is the 2007 Euphonium Player of the Year. There are other posts on this blog about the event, but I thought I would provide a bit more insight based on my own experience from 1980.

When I learned of the award, the Coast Guard agreed to pay my expenses to travel and accept the award in London. While there, I took a few days' leave on my own expense and toured London - what a great city and people!

YouTube has a nice video of the Canadian Brass Quintet playing a Purcell piece. While it doesn't really feature the tuba, you can plainly see the black bell in the video. You may be able to hear enough of the tuba to judge for yourself how the sound holds up.

This is a great routine by the always-entertaining Canadian Brass Quintet. Charles Daellenbach is featured and here is a fantastic demonstration how a great player can perform under challenging circumstances. For those of us who think we need a chair that is just the right height and a way to always have the horn supported at just the right angle, watch this:

On Youtube there is a short video of the Empire Brass Quintet performing live. It features Ken Amos doing a wonderful job on the tuba solo. Very clean technique and fine double tonguing. (Lots of enthusiasm from the audience, so don't be too distracted.)

Cimarron Music Press in conjunction with BVD Press just announced an opportunity for you readers to be part of a commission for a new tuba or euphonium piece by award-winning composer Barbara York. She will be doing four pieces, including Sonata for Tuba with Piano, Sonata for Euphonium with Piano, Sonata for Horn with Piano, Suite for Horn or Euphonium and Tuba with Piano. You can sign up now to help with the commission by purchasing in advance one or more of the titles. Your purchase will go toward
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The great euphonium soloist Arthur Lehman has written a collection of his memories of his life as a performer in The United States Marine Band. One of these, presented here for the first time, has many of Arthur's memories of his relationship with Robert Hoe. Bob Hoe was an amateur brass player, who played cornet and euphonium. Bob was a great fan of Arthur and helped bring to the world Arthur's 2 "The Art of Euphonium Playing" recordings (with books). Bob also produced a series of recording
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We spend so much time discussing horns, mouthpieces, techniques, etc. that sometimes we forget that playing euphonium is ultimately about making music. Playing tuba is ultimately about making music. Playing trombone is ultimately about making music. See where I'm going?

During lessons I give I often play recordings to demonstrate something or other. I haven't kept track, but I think that my students hear other instruments (or voice) much more often than euphonium recordings during
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